Method of making shoes



Jan. 30, 1940. F, MAIELLANO METHOD 0F MAKING SHOES l Filed Aug. 14, 1935l l N VEN TQ R Patented Jan. 30, 1940 METHOD or MAKING SHOES FrankMaiellano, Winthrop, Mass., assignor to Compo Shoe MachineryCorporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware ApplicationAugust 14, 1935, Serial No. 36,056

13 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of foot wear, and particularlyto the making of shoes having an insole that is centrally perforate atits forepart and an outsole having a raised landed portion thatcomplements the apertured insole in the completed shoe.

An object of the invention is to provide a construction in which shoeshaving the general characteristics described above may be more readilymanufactured on flat bottom lasts, while avoiding certain diflicultiesthat previously have been encountered when this has been attempted.

Complementary insoles and outsoles of the kind herein contemplated andpreferred are disclosed l5 in the Sbicca Patent 1,902,725. Stated morespecically, objects of the present invention are to make possible themanufacture of shoes having substantially the advantages provided by theSbicca construction in factories now equipped with flat bottom lasts,without necessitating the replacement of such lasts by those having around or convex bottom structure or other treatment to afford room forthe lasting allowance.

The particular problems involved, and the means provided by thisinvention for overcoming them, will be more apparent upon reading thefollowing detailed description, and therefore other objects of theinvention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relationof one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and thearticle possessing the features, properties, and the relation ofelements, which are exemplified in the 35, following detaileddisclosure, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in theclaims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the inventionreference should be had to the following detailed description taken incon- 40. nection with the accompanying drawing, in

which: v

Fig. l is a perspective view of a complementary insole and outsole unit,the separate parts beingacross the forepart of a lasted shoeillustrating the conventional and heretofore practiced manner ofassembling a shoe of the Sbicca and related types on a round bottomlast;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional View Fig. 3 is a transversevertical sectional view similar to Fig. 3, but illustrating the effectof assembling such a shoe on a flat bottom last; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through theforepart of a shoe constructed on a flat bottom last in accordance withthe lar, and there are now many manufacturers who 15" wish to make them.As will become more apparent from the following description, this shoeis adapted more readily `to be made on round bottom lasts than on thosehaving at bottoms.

However, many manufacturers have iiat bottom 2U" lasts in stock, andwhile they prefer to make shoes having the Sbicca type construction,they natuv rally wish to avoid, if possible, discarding their existingat bottom equipment and may wish to avoid operations on the leather toafford room for the lasting allowance. The present invention provides ashoe construction which renders this possible.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is shown in Fig. l acomplementary insole and outsole unit constructed substantially inaccordance with the teaching of the mentioned Sbicca patent. Itcomprises a rounded outsole Ill having a raised land i l at its centralforepart portion, together with an insole l2 which is apertured at I3 soas exactly to fit and complement the land on the outsole. The insoleshown in Fig. l has been trimmed marginally at I4 so as to be somewhatsmaller than the outsole.` This trimming may be accomplished in any wellknown or suitable manner. The complementary insole and outsole may bemade by the three-cut process described in the Sbicca patent, or it maybe performed in a single operation on a splitting machine of the kinddisclosed in United States Patent No. 2,088,051, issued to William C.Card, Jr., or in any other suitable manner capable of giv" ing therequired mated insole and outsole construction.

Referring for the moment to Fig. 3, there is shown a shoe utilizing aSbicca type insole and outsole which is lasted on a round bottom lastl5. An insole l2 such as that described above has a sheet i6. of toughpaper or other thin, flexible, but strongv material pasted across itsforepart for reinforcing purposes, and is located on the bottom of thelast with the reinforcement I6 preferably located directly thereagainst.An upper I'I is pulled over and its lasting allowance Il is lasted tothe bottom of the insole, being trimmed and feathered, by means ofsuitable cutting and roughing operations so as not to encroach on theaperture I3 of the insole, as illustrated. Any suitable form of lastingmay be .employed but preferably a cement-lasting operation is used. Amating outsole, such as the outsole I0, is now located on the bottom ofthe lasted upper with its landed portion l l extending into and matingwith the aperture I3, so that the upper surface of the land is flushwith the upper surface of the insole and nts closely therewith allaround the boundary of the aperture I3. It will be noted that thelasting allowance I'I interposes a thickness of material between theinsole and outsole, but despite this, the latter is adapted to becemented and pressed to the bottom of the shoe while retaining a flat orslightly convex contour if a round bottom last is used. The means forpressing the outsole to the upper comprises a sole-aiiixing press of anysuitable known construction involving the use of a flexiblepressureapplying pad or diaphragm.

On the other hand, when such an assembly is made on a flat bottom lastI8, such as that illustrated in Fig. 4, the thickness of material of thelasting allowance Il, which is located between the marginal portions ofthe insole I2 and the outsole Ill supports such margins of the latter ata relatively higher elevation than the landed portion I l at the centerof the outsole unless by roughing or otherwise sufficient material isremoved from the margin of the outsole. That is, the outsole, havingbeen split from the insole, would, assuming the latter to be supportedon a fiat surface, be atly supported thereby if no uper material were`interposed between such parts. However, due to the presence of theadded thickness of lasting allowance material, the pad diaphragm. of thesole-aixing press tends, during the cement-ailixing operation, to pressthe center part of the outsole inwardly until its landed portion ssupported by the bottom of the last, so that a central depression havinga depthd (Fig. 4) about equivalent to the thickness of the lastingallowance material is formed at the ball of the shoe. This, of course,is objectionable both from the standpoint of appearance and wear. Itwill be understood that this objection does not arise with the abovedescribed round bottom last assembly, since the center of the ballportion of the outsole is properly supported with reference to themarginal portions by virtue of the convexity of the last bottom, despitethe presence of the lasting allowance material I1.

In order to overcome the problem thus encountered when using a flatbottom last, the insole in accordance with this invention is providedwith a preformed filler piece I9 which generally corresponds in shapewith and is somewhat larger than the aperture I3 which it is adapted tooverlie. This filler piece is as thick or slightly thicker than thematerials comprising the lasting allowance such as Il and is marginallytapered to a thin feathered edge as is indicated in Fig. 5. Preferably,the filler I9 is cemented to the insole and forms a part of thecompleted shoe. However, the benefits of the invention can be obtainedsimply by locating such a filler on the bottom of a flat last inposition to register With the landed and apertured portions of an insoleand outsole when the latter are located on the last bottom, and bothuses of the ller are contemplated as being within the purview of theinvention. The ller may be of any suitable material, preferably a exiblemanufactured composition of plant fibres, or the like, although leatheror other materials may also be used.

Assuming the insole to have a ller piece I9 attached thereto, as shownin Fig. 2, a shoe may advantageously be assembled in the manner shown inFig. 5. Here, the insole I2 and its associated ller I9 are located on aiiat bottom last IS with the filler facing thereagainst and with theinsole aperture i3 facing outwardly. An upper II is pulled over and itslasting allowance I'I is lasted to the insole I 2, preferably by meansof cement. Care is taken to trim and rough away the excess lastingallowance so that the edges of aperture I3 are not overlapped by theupper material, but are left exposed for mating with an outsole.

A complementary outsole Ill is provided and is located against thebottom of the lasted upper with its landed portion I I itting into andexactly mating with the apertured part of the insole, cement beingplaced or activated between the insole and outsole. The outsole is thenpressed against the upper in a suitable sole-aixing press and its bottomportion is supported so as to assume a flat or slightly convex shape,just as is the case with round bottom lasts. This is because the fillerpiece II supports the landed portion of the outsole and compensates forthe added thickness of material I'I' introduced between the two soles.

While desirable forms of the invention have been described in somedetail, such description is illustrative and various changes may be madewithout departing from the purview of the invention. Thus while thelasting and sole-aiixing operations are preferably carried out .by meansof cement, such as pyroxylin cement, other adhesives, or other forms ofattachment, such as stitching, or the like, may be employed. Also, ashas been pointed out above, the filler piece need not necessarily form apart of the completed shoe, but may simply be provided in suitableposition to support the central forepart portion of the outsole thereofduring operations wherein pressure is applied thereto.

Shoes constructed in accordance with the present invention possess thecompactness, appearance, and much of the flexibility of ordinary Sbiccatype shoes.

lt will be seen that there have been provided a method and constructionwhich are well suited to fulfill the intended functions.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction anddifferent embodiments of the invention could be made without departingfrom the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall beinterpreted vas illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

`It is also 'to `be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and'specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is: 1. A method of making shoes which comprisesproviding an outsole having a raised land at its central forepartportion and an insole having a corresponding aperture at its centralforepart portion, attaching a ller piece of greater extent than saidaperture and having substantially the thickness of an upper across saidaperture, locating said insole and filler piece on a fiat bottom lastwith said iiller piece thereagainst, lasting an upper to said insolewith the inner edge of its lasting allowance located outwardly from theedges of said aperture, and axing an outsole to said lasted upper withits landed portion iitting in and closely mating said aperture edges.

2. A method of making shoes which comprises providing an outsole havinga raised land Aat its central forepart portion and an insole having acorresponding aperture at its central forepart portion, locating saidinsole on a flat bottom last, providing a filler piece havingsubstantially the thickness of an upper between said insole and last insubstantial registry with said aperture, lasting an upper to saidinsole, and cement aflixing an outsole to said lasted upper underpressure with its land fitting in and closely mating said aperture.

3. 'I'hat improvement in methods of making shoes which comprisesmounting an insole on a at bottomed last with a relatively thick layerof material located between the last bottom and the intramarginalportion of the insole, securing a shoe upper in lasted relation to theinsole, and applying an outso-le the inner surface of which iscomplemental to the outer surfaces of the insole and overlasted portionsof theupper, thereby producing a iiat bottomed shoe.

4. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises mountingan insole on a at bottomed last with a relatively thick layer ofmaterial between the last bottom and the intramarginal portion of theinsole, securing a shoe upper in lasted relation to the marginal portionof the insole, attaching an outsole the inner surface of which iscomplemental to the exposed surfaces of the insole and overlastedportions of the upper, and delasting the shoe and removing the thicklayer of material.

5. That improvement in methods o f making shoes which comprisestemporarily securing an insole on a at bottomed last with a relativelythick layer of material between the last bottom and the intramarginalportion of the insole, thereby causing the marginal portion of theinsole to decline outwardly toward the last bottom, securing a shoeupper in lasted relation to said marginal portion, the overlastedportion of said upper lling the space above the marginal portion of theinsole so that the outer surface of said overlasted portion issubstantially parallel to the last bottom,` and attaching to the shoebottom an outsole the inner surface of which is complemental to theouter surface of the insole with the upper secured thereto, said thicklayer supporting the outer surface of the central portion of the outsolein the same plane as the outer surface of its marginal portion issupported by the insole and overlasted portion of the upper, therebyproducing a flat bottom surface on said outsole.

6. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises providingan insole having an opening in its forepart surrounded by a rand,mounting the insole on a flat bottomed last with a relatively thicklayer of material between the insole and the last bottom, said materialspanning said opening, securing a shoe upper in lasted relation to theinsole, and attaching an outsole having a projection thereoncomplemental to the opening in the insole, said projection engaging thethick layerof material through said opening and thereby causing theouter surface of the outsole to lie substantially flat.

7. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises providingan insole having a central opening in its forepart surrounded by a rand,covering said opening with a relatively thick layer of material whichoverlaps the innerl margin of the rand, mounting the insole on a flatbottomed last with the thick layer engaging the last bottom, securing anupper to said rand, and applying an outsole having a projection on itsforepart complemental to the opening in the insole, said thicklayer-supporting the central portion of the outsole and thereby causingthe outsole to remain substantially at transversely.

8. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises providingan insole having an opening in its forepart surrounded by a rand,mounting the insole on a flat bottomed lastwith a relatively thick layerof material spanning said opening between the insole and the lastbottom, securing an upper in lasted relation to said rand, attaching anoutsole to the shoe bottom, said outsole having a projection thereoncomplemental to the opening in the insole and said projection engagingsaid thick layer and thereby maintaining the outsole substantially flat,and delasting the shoe and removingr said thick layer.

9. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises securinga relatively thick layer of material to the intramarginal portion of theinner surface of an insole, mounting the insole on a flat bottomed lastwith the thick layer engaging the last bottom, securing a shoe upper inlasted relation to the marginal portion of the insole, and attaching anoutsole the inner surface of which is complemental to the outer surfaceof the insole with the upper lasted thereto, said thick layer supportingthe outer surface of the central portion of the outsole in the sameplane as the outer surface of the marginal portion thereof is supportedby the insole and upper and thereby producing a flat bottom on the shoe.

10. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises mountingan insole on a hat bottomed last with a relatively thick layer ofmaterial having a tapered margin located between the insole and the lastbottom, thereby causing the outer surface of the insole to becometransversely convex, securing a shoe upper in lasted relation to theinsole, the. overlasted portions of said upper substantially eliminatingthe convexity of the outer surface of the insole, and attaching anoutsole the inner surface of which is complemental to the outer surfacesof the insole and overlasted portions of the upper, thereby producing aflat bottomed shoe.

l1. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises mountingan insole on a dat bottomed last with a relatively thick layer ofmaterial having a beveled margin located between the last bottom and theintramarginal portion of the insole, thereby causing the outer surfaceof the insole to become transversely convex, securing a shoe upper inlasted relation to said insole, the overlasted portions of said uppereliminating the convexity of the shoe bottom at its marginal portion andthe outer surfaces rof said overlasted portions lying substantially at,attaching an outsole the inner surface of which is complemental to theouter surface of the insole vvith the upper lasted thereto, therebyproducing a shoe having a iiat bottomed outsole; and delasting the shoeand removing the relatively thick layer.

12. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises securinga relatively thick layer of material having a tapered margin to theinner surface of an insole, mounting the insole on a iiat bottomed lastwith the thick layer engaging the last bottom, thereby rendering the 13.That improvement in methods of making shoes'which' comprises providingan insole having a central opening in its forepart surrounded by a rand,securing a relatively thick layer of material to the inner margin ofsaid rand and thereby covering said opening, mounting the insole on a atbottomed last with the thick layer engaging the last bottom, securing ashoe upper in lasted relation to the outer surface of the rand,attaching an outsole having a projection on its forepart complemental tothe opening in the insole, said projection engaging the thick layerthrough the opening in the insole and causing the outsole to remainsubstantially at, and delasting the shoe and removing said thick layerfrom the insole.

FRANK MAIELLANO.

